GREENS

BLUES

BUILDING

SUSTAINBLE GUITARS

FRANK XU

THIS BLOGPOST IS DEDICATED TO THE ELP

2022 FALL CLASS AND THE GUITAR LEGEND

EDDIE VAN HALEN UPON HIS 2ND

ANNIVERSARY OF DECEASE.

Had you ever heard of the song Greens and Blues

by Pixies, you might recognize half of the title. The

’90s permanent wave and alternative rock played

an indispensable role in cultivating me to a rock

fan as well as a guitar aficionado. For many

people, the modern art of guitar is embedded in

the figure of Jimi Hendrix, who plays his iconic wild

BLUES on a 1964 Fender Strat with a ROSEWOOD

neck. Yet the art of guitar, as well as its material,

evolved over the past decades and became more

and more GREEN in recent years. My blogpost is

going to shed a light on the measures, policies, and

laws on sustainable guitar production. Given the

complexity of guitar composition, including its

head, neck, body, bridge, etc., made from

different materials, this article will only focus on

the main material – tone woods – which serves

for bodies and necks (head and neck are usually

carved as a whole, and some guitars like

Strandberg are headless.).

Introduction

https://www.guitarl

obby.com/jimi-

hendrix-guitars-

and-gear/t

Jimi Hendrix

Rosewood/

Maple

Neck

https://www.amazon.

com/Guitar-Neck-

Canada-Maple-

Fret/dp/B08BBKVN1

Neck

Rosewood

As mentioned previously, the neck of the

1964 Fender Strat was made of rosewood,

so were those of many other vintage

guitars. Martin Taylor were the first one to

use rosewood for acoustic guitars and

follows Gibson, which consumed ¾ of the

rosewood in the guitar industry (Black, 2013).

A lot of guitarists are obsessed with the

vintage rosewood fingerboards (some necks

are combinations of rosewood fingerboards

and maple bottoms.) for its stability, tone,

and the smooth feel on the surface for

shredding (generally refers to fast, virtuoso

playing). However, their obsession might

have to end. From 2005 to 2015, it is

estimated that in total 9874 tons of

rosewood had been illegally traded.

Excessive rosewood logging has a lot of

negative environmental impacts, including

reduction in biodiversity, increase in

likelihood of forest fires, and degrading soil

fertility (Barrett et al., 2010). To prevent the

extinction of rosewoods and reduce the

negative impact of logging, CITES

(Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species) decided to ban

rosewood trading on 2nd January, 2017. As

a result, musicians were not allowed to

travel with rosewood guitars when crossing

borders on tour, let alone trading

instruments made of rosewood.

Although the ban on rosewood instruments is moving to sustainability, it’s hard to

intuitively consider it fair to ban an instrument made of rosewood less 10 kilograms.

The main contributor of rosewood being endangered is the furniture industry that has

a great market in China. According to Annah Lake Zhu, a scholar at Harvard University,

the Chinese furniture market, with an estimated value of 26 billions of USD, depletes

the most rosewood resources for making antique furniture following a cultural

renaissance. Hence, as the majority expected, the ban on rosewood-made instruments

was lifted in August, 2019. The new policy excluded all the other species except for the

Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) for musicians. In light of this measure, the APHIS

(Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

being in charge of species protected under either the U.S. Endangered Species Act

(rosewoods are not under its protection, since they’re exotic) or CITES, regulates the

entry of instruments made of Brazilian rosewoods. The APHIS’s regulation on rosewood

is based on the Lacey Act, which combats unlawful trafficking of wild faunas and floras.

To trade rosewood-made instruments, an individual has to apply for a valid Protected

Plant Permit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to part 335, Code of

Federal Regulations. In spite of the regulations, some companies are still involved in

illegal wood trading. In 2011, Gibson were sued to trade Brazilian rosewood as well as

other species like Madagscar ebony and Mahogany.

In addition to the American regulations, it is also worth paying attention to their

counterparts in Europe and Asia, where mainstream guitar companies like Höfner

(Germany) and Ibanez (from Japan, having a lot of factories in China.) locates. The EU

was relatively tolerant to rosewood-made instruments. Right after the ban in 2017, the

EU didn’t prohibit individuals and households to carry a rosewood-made instrument

below 10 kilograms in their luggage. For music ensembles, as long as each member

doesn’t carry such an instrument over 10 kilograms, they will be permitted to travel

with the instruments. Besides, the EU also exempted non-commercial trade of

rosewood-made instrument, and non-commercial trade includes personal use,

performances, competitions, repairments, and loans. In Asia, Myanmar and peninsular

Malaysia, where some rosewood species grows, had banned rosewood logging in 2014,

while China, although protected local species with legislations, doesn’t impose strict,

clear measures on rosewood trading: relatable departments (well, it’s a common,

mysterious term in Chinese) like National Department of Forestry and Grasslands and

CITES MA in China only serves to supervise illegal trafficking and logging of national

protected species (Zhang & Chen, 2022). However, under the ethos of ecological

civilization, China bears great potential in the conservation of rosewood in the near

future. But so far, companies like Ibanez could still import and export rosewood

(guitars) by their Chinese factories.

Pau Ferro

Since the ban on rosewood in 2017, Fender has been switching to Pau

Ferro woods for guitar fingerboards. Guitars with Pau Ferro

fingerboards are most produced in Fender’s Mexican factories, which

focuses on building non-custom and non-vintage series. The most

common player series, which I play, are made of Pau Ferro woods as well.

Personally, I find it a grotesque substitution for rosewood, just as Fender

alleged, ‘snappy attack, creating a crisp, clear sound.’ And Pau Ferro is

not a novelty following the ban in 2017. Stevie Ray Vaughan led the

second wave of southern blues over his Pau-Ferro-made signature

guitar. Fortunately but unfortunately, Pau Ferro is not listed by CITES

and so far there’s no restrictions on Pau Ferro. Yet we might not have to

worry about Pau Ferro woods being endangered since they are mainly

just used for guitars and basses while doesn’t enjoy a good fame in the

furniture industry.

Maple

Maple necks are the most compared with rosewood necks. Some refers to

an entire neck made of maple while some are the back that holds the

fingerboard made of another material. A lot of high-end guitars are made of

maple as well as rosewood. Maple wood is also considered as a sustainable

choice. Here we interpret sustainability in terms of ecology and economy, in

another word, equality ---- which dictates the value of an instrument. In

addition to its rich sound and durance, maple woods are eminent for its

texture. The smooth feel made it the most adored back of the neck, where

guitarists anchor their palms and slide over the neck. Such a benefit could be

crucial for some virtuoso shredders. When it comes to ecology, maple woods

are pretty promising as well. Maple woods grows at a staggering rate of

1cubic meter/3.31s. The growth of American hard maple exceeds its harvest,

resulting in a net increase of 8.8 M cubic meters per year. The increase of its

population could also facilitate carbon sequestration. Last but not the least,

American hard maple is a native species distributed mainly in New England, so

it saves the carbon footprints on transport. The figure below demonstrates

other sustainable factors of maple woods. However, certain species of

maple are concerned. In 2015, the Lacey Act coped with the illegal harvesting

of bigleaf maple in Gifford Pinchot Nation Forest. Rather, maple woods

generally still bears potential as more and more tropical woods are under

threats.

SRV

https://ultimatecla

ssicrock.com/stevi

e-ray-vaughan-

dies/

Body

The discussion on body would be modest compare to the previous

texts, since we’ve already reviewed the most controversial rosewood.

Mahogany

Mahogany woods are widely used for guitar bodies. Like many other

endangered wood species listed by CITES, Mahogany is one of the tropical

woods that are distributed in central America, Bolivia, and Brazil. Since I’ve

never played a Mahogany-made guitar, the words below are totally taken

from online guitar commentaries: Mahogany is better at creating

resonance and warm tones. That’s the major reason why it’s adored by a

lot of players for acoustic tracks. Mahogany was listed by CITES very

early. Mexican Mahogany was listed in 1975, Cuban and Honduran being

listed in 1992 and 1995. In November 2003, the international community

agreed on regulations for bigleaf Mahogany businesses. Following this

measure, the U.S. ESA (Endangered Species Act) prohibited trade and

possess on Mahogany. Unfortunately, as mentioned before, Gibson still

possessed illegal Mahogany woods.

John Frusciante

holding a Martin 015

made of Mahogany

while recording Road

Trippin'

https://www.groundguitar.com/jo

hn-frusciante-gear/john-

frusciantes-1940s-martin-0-15/

Ash & Alder

Ash and Alder are common candidates for

electric guitar bodies. Ash is considered to

be good at taking finish (the colored layer

on the body). The swamp Ash, distributed in

southern U.S., has good resonance for its

softness and porosity. Compared to Ash,

Alder is a bit worse but cheaper and more

available. Its habitats range from Tropic of

Cancer to polar areas. Currently, only Ash

(Fraxinus Mandshurica, a specie from

Russia) is listed by CITES and subsequently

banned by the EU. Although the American

market is not affected, Fender has recently

been replacing Ash – its DNA – to Alder. In

2019, Fender received the worst swamp

Ash harvesting due to the flood in the

Mississippi River. It is suggested that

climate change might threat swamp Ash

species by erratic precipitations.

Alder

Ash

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i

ndex.php?threads/poll-telecaster-

body-wood-alder-ash-or-it-doesnt-

matter.2203113/page-2

Discussion and Vision

The current regulations on tonewoods are acceptably sufficient. However, it

is never wrong to play more green notes. Since the swamp Ash woods are

under the threat of climate change, other than adaptation measures, it is

also important to set about regulations on swamp Ash. Meanwhile, more

strict market regulations and punishment should be imposed to cope with

illegal transactions as Gibson did. It’s interesting to mention that Gibson is

actually in bankruptcy. It might be able to afford the responsibilities when it

comes to taxation and fine. Therefore, we could consider adding VAT taxes

on guitars made of illegal obtained woods. Moreover, why don’t we consider

subsidy-wise solutions? Take Gibson as an example, it struggles with its

deficits by trying every effort to maintain its DNA: that’s what incurs the

most kicks than kudos for Gibson from modern players. Gibson barely

innovated on their guitars over the years, and, personally, I do hate the

inaccessible 15th + frets and I had no complex for the conventional tone

woods. Subsidies to Gibson might help it get out of the vicious cycle, start

innovation, and then phase out the illegally obtained woods. The same could

work for other companies struggling, since the guitar market has been more

and more monopolized: for instance, do you, a non-aficionado of guitars, think

Jackson and Charvel are independent companies? No, both of them are

bought by Fender to develop tributes for metal players. In this sense,

enforcing big companies to shoulder more sustainable responsibility could be

no more reasonable. What’s more, subsidies could even be provided to civil

groups. In 2016, Tom Bedell initiated the Musicians for Forests campaign to

protect the over-logged Sitka Spruce in Alaska. Such spontaneous campaigns

are worth funding.

In terms of physically building a guitar, more new ‘crazy species’ could be

taken into account. Bamboo is one of the most fasting growing wood in the

world and it’s easy to manage. Used for flutes and Xiao (a Chinese instrument,

a vertical flute), bamboo has a rich tone and can last long, too. Meanwhile,

some players would also argue that what defines the tone is not the wood

but the finish. For electric guitar players, nowdays, wood have been less and

less important since advanced digital pedals/programming are expanding the

tonal ranges of guitar sound. In the end, as someone who practices guitar

every day, let me tell you, what dictates the tone is neither the wood, pedals,

pickups, nor anything else. It’s your techniques. So, choose sustainable

materials, keep shredding, and play blues & greens.

References

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https://www.americanhardwood.org/en/american-hardwood/american-hard-maple

APHIS. (2020a, June 2). USDA APHIS | International Traveler: Musical Instruments. Usda.gov.

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APHIS. (2020b, September 24). USDA APHIS | CITES (Endangered Plant Species). Usda.gov.

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permits/cites/ct_cites_endangered_plants

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https://www.fender.com/articles/tech-talk/ash-vs-alder-whats-the-diff

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Benincasa, R. (2019, August 27). Musical Instruments To Be Exempt From Restrictions On Heavily Trafficked Rosewood. NPR.

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Black, L. (2013). Tonewood: An Environmental Perspective (p. 112).

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